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I'm going to see Madonna this summer in Hyde Park. I'm staying near Paddington station so is this too far to walk to the concert? If it is am I best getting the Marble Arch tube or Hyde Park Corner? As I don't know where concerts are usually based when in Hyde park, thanks

I'm a novice to Hyde Park concerts so forgive my ignorance but I've got a Gold Circle ticket and once I'm in the park and have shown my ticket etc, are we free to leave the circle and wander around or do we have to stay there and are there toilets, hot dog stands etc nearby?

I've been to a number of Hyde Park concerts over the years. Not my favourite venue (due to poor facilities and overcrowding), but managed to get a ticket for the Blur concert this summer.

The arena used for the summer season of concerts is entered from the Marble Arch end, close to Speaker's Corner. Not from the Hyde Park Corner end, which is still a 10 min walk from the entrance.

Once you're in the arena, it is normally no re-admission. However, the arena site is large, there is plenty of (overpriced) food and drink. There are toilets (portaloos) but be prepared to queue!

I assume the Gold Circle means you are in an area near the front - but still unlikely to mean you can leave the actual arena. Terms should be stated on your ticket.

One thing regarding last summer was that for the first time in my experience, Marble Arch tube station was closed after the concert finished to avoid overcrowding. Meaning a longer than expected walk afterwards. Tip: if you're getting the tube, make sure you're away of the nearest alternative if Marble Arch is closed.

Edited: 26 February 2012, 19:55

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Regarding the Gold Circle thing: It sounds like it might be a hospitality ticket but I can't see any tickets specifically named "Golden Circle" on the official site, just platinum, premium club and hot ticket. I've been to 2 Hard Rock Calling concerts at Hyde Park and each time bought a "Hot Ticket" package, I think it was about £100 on top of the standard entry so the total was in the region of £140-160. Would that sound about right?

In that case you got a dedicated entrance (which was impossible to find), access to a private bar (just to the left of the stage, not far away at all) which was nice and quiet and easy to get served. Private proper toilets (trailers) inside the bar area which was a godsend (the public portaloos get horribly busy and messy), private food area, a £20 merchandise voucher, and a free souvenir lanyard.

The Madonna thing might be a completely different setup, "Golden Circle" at other venues usually means a paddock right at the front where you have a closer view but I've never seen that setup at Hyde Park, the main arena is just a big free for all.

In any case, it's relatively easy to move back and forth to the toilets and bars while the early support acts are on, but as it gets closer to the main event it's very hard to move anywhere. I was once forced to watch James Morrison while protecting my place for Springsteen, I still get night sweats about the blandness of it all to this day.

Thanks guys, The gold circle setup is like that what they had a Live 8. It's a smallish area around the stage and then further back is general admission standing. I'm staying at the Columbus Hotel near Paddington and was planning on getting the tube to Marble Arch and having a walk up Oxford Street before hitting the show mid afternoon. I imagine it'll be quite hot hence why I wanted to stick to the tube in the day rather than walking too far

I'm not too fussed about walking back at night as I'll probably go on a bit of a pub crawl

By the time you've walked to Lancaster Gate to get the tube for Marble Arch, you may as well do the whole walk on foot. If the 10-15 mins walk puts you off, a bus would be a better solution than the tube.

Oh yes, I remember hearing about the Golden Circle at Live 8 - apparantly it was great from there. I think they only do that for the really high profile concerts. Well done on getting that - hope you enjoy it! What are the chances of Golden Circle-only toilets?! :)

Regarding your pre-concert plans, you could take the Bakerloo line without changing from Paddington to Oxford Circus and walk west from there, so you are in the middle of Oxford St to save you a bit of walking and avoid too much backtracking.